


Hunith's Bed & Breakfast for Magical Peoples (and other strays)

by Isabear



Series: Summer Pornathon 2013 [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Happy Ending, Canonical violence (averted), Episode: s01e01 The Dragon's Call, Everybody Lives, F/M, Hunith is the best mum, Implied Gwaine/Lancelot - Freeform, Merlin & Morgana Friendship, Reunions, Summer Pornathon 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 17:37:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isabear/pseuds/Isabear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin wanders into Camelot on the day Tom Collins is set to die. Everything follows from his choice in that moment.</p><p>(A "What if?" that asks what if Merlin used his magic to save others besides himself and Arthur from the very start?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hunith's Bed & Breakfast for Magical Peoples (and other strays)

**Author's Note:**

> For the Summer Pornathon 2013 main challenge #5, "canon". 
> 
> This? Is what I think canon should have been. (Hey, technically we were allowed to change one thing. So I picked the first event in the story.)

Merlin enters Camelot's gate full of wonder, staring about like a child. That lasts until he arrives at the keep and discovers a man about to be executed.

"What's he done?" Merlin asks the woman beside him in the crowd.

"Used magic to help one of the horses foal safely," she replies.

When the executioner drops the axe, it bounces.

In the ensuing uproar, as the archers notch arrows that turn to ash in their hands and several knights trip over air, the prisoner rolls slowly to his feet, wide-eyed, and falls gracelessly off the platform. Picking himself up, he stumbles to the arms of a wailing old woman, and the crowd parts confusedly to let them pass.

Merlin's tired now, but he has somewhere to be.

The lower town no longer seems glamorous. He finds the house easily - it's the one that looks like someone smashed it up last night. Door hanging from one hinge, pottery shards spread out into the street. Merlin's lips thin.

The young man and his mother are in the house, salvaging whatever they can and putting it in sacks for the road. Merlin has to cough twice to get their attention.

"Who are you?" the old woman asks suspiciously.

Merlin shrugs. "A friend?"

~ * ~ 

Sneaking them out the gate after dark turns out to be quite simple, despite the guards everywhere. Merlin stands on the road and waves until they're out of sight, heading east. Then he turns around-

-and almost smacks into a lady in a blue dress.

"Oh, hullo!" He straightens and tries to pretend he wasn't just conspiring with a condemned sorcerer.

The lady arches one perfect eyebrow. "You'll do, but we must work on your face. Don't try to look innocent - it only makes it worse."

And that's how Merlin became a servant to the Lady Morgana.

~ * ~

"Don't use magic in front of Uther, unless it's very subtle," Morgana instructs.

Merlin nods.

"But it's fine in front of Arthur. Really, he won't notice unless you dance three feet in the air juggling fireballs."

Merlin nods.

"Maybe not even then."

Merlin nods.

Morgana sighs. "I'm trying to tell you to go ahead and save people, if you can. When you can."

"Oh."

"And don't tell me where you send them."

~ * ~

Hunith has just blown out the candle when there's scrape at the door, the sound of someone who can't decide whether to knock or not. Relighting the candle from the banked fire, she opens the peephole.

A stranger, bald - a blacksmith by his arms. He's shaking like a leaf.

She sighs and unlocks the door, mentally considering how long it would take to warm some of last night's stew.

~ * ~

Will's working the fields, finally healed from that stupid arrow to the shoulder, when he catches movement on the road. A girl, dark-haired and wearing a tattered red dress, stumbles along barefoot.

She's the loveliest woman he's ever seen.

~ * ~

"I'm cursed," Freya tells Will, hand twisting in his as they sit side by side on Merlin's favorite log.

Will replies, "You'll want Old Mary Collins for that, or the druid boy."

"There's a price on my head."

"If this village wanted gold, we'd have turned in Tom."

"I'm still in love with Merlin."

His smile is bittersweet. "Aren't we all?"

Her kiss tastes salty, like tears.

~ * ~

Balinor lies back in his bed. (His own bed! It still amazes him.) His trousers lie on the chair beside, and he's stroking himself distractedly. Hunith is pulling off her dress slowly, teasing him as one by one the buttons push through their holes and leave another fingers-breath of skin bare to the candlelight. His breath comes rougher, his cock beginning to strain in his hand.

Finally the dress pools at her feet, and she climbs onto the bed, eyes sparkling as she straddles him. She teases again, running her hands through the hair on his chest, brushing her backside lightly against his cockhead, which is straining out of its foreskin.

"Please," he growls, and she lifts up-

-Someone knocks.

Hunith closes her eyes, resigned, and crawls away to re-dress while Balinor twitches the blanket over his lap and tries not to wish ill on his son.

The blond boy at the door is wide-eyed and desperate-looking. Just Merlin's type.

"G-Gilli. I- I was told I could-"

And Hunith, finally, has had enough.

"Next door," she says, pointing. "Lancelot and Gwaine's house. Tell them Hunith sent you, and I'm collecting on their debt."

The boy nods, and Hunith shuts the door before he's gone more than two steps. Turning back to the room, she smiles at her husband. 

"Now, where were we?"


End file.
